The Story of The Black Roses
by White Melancholy
Summary: They are The Black Roses, the five unrivaled assassins, elites of the Messengers of Death. In a world of lies, betrayal, murder, and blood, there is only one rule to obey: never trust anyone, sometimes not even yourself – because you are always alone.
1. The Little Girl Hino Kahoko

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own any of the characters you recognized from the anime La Corda D'Oro (though I don't think you would recognize them). The rest of the characters and the plot are mine.

-x-x-x-

**The Story of The Black Roses**

By: White Melancholy

**1. The Little Girl Hino Kahoko**

It was night time when _they_ came barging into our house.

I remember seeing a full moon from the balcony of my bedroom.

I had no idea who _they_ are but my parents panicked. I remember because they told me to hide. They told me to hide anywhere as long as it would keep me safe from _them_, and not to get out until they call me.

After that I ran off to find a place to hide. I am a good girl; I follow my parents' instructions. I hid myself in one of the taller wooden clothing cabinets in my closet.

I was there for what seemed like hours, before I hear the sound of sirens coming from outside my house. From what I can hear, there is a sound of an ambulance and a sound of a police car.

I thought it was already safe, because the police have arrived. I was about to open the cabinet when somebody opened it from outside.

It was a policeman who opened the cabinet. He seemed to be surprised that I was inside and started calling his fellow policemen to come and look at me.

Before I know it, they already lifted me and took me to their car, all the while blocking my sight with their hands. I didn't know what was going on, but I trusted the police. I knew that I would be safe with them.

But then, the policeman had a crack between his fingers.

I was a curious child.

So I looked.

What I saw was my family.

Yes, I saw my family…lying on the floor in a pool of blood.

Dead.

And I was the only survivor.

I was a little kid and the police decided that I should go live with my relatives.

All four of my grandparents passed away already when I was little, so I could not live with them. I had to live with my uncles and aunts, and they only kept me because of my inheritance. They all treated me nicely at first, but when they found out that I won't give anything to them, they started abandoning me. From the first relative to the one I live with now, they all treat me the same way.

Since nobody cared what I would do, I packed some things that I would need to live and left my uncle's house. I headed to my family's grave, which is luckily not far from there, and sat in front of my parents' gravestone. It was then that a young lady with long, wavy purple hair approached me. She was very beautiful, maybe only around five or six years above myself, and she smiled at me with the kindest smile possible and kneeled next to me.

"_I know who killed your family," she started, immediately gaining my attention._

"…_You do?"_

"_If you come with me, I will tell you," she said, reaching her hand out as she straightened her body._

_I didn't move. I didn't want to trust her just yet. For all I know, she could be some bad person._

"_Do you need a place to live?" she asked, looking pointedly at my pack of necessities, "I can provide you one, and I can give you anything you want as well."_

_The beautiful young lady looked capable of giving me a shelter, and she was nice. Nice people can't be a bad person, right?_

"_Alright, I will come with you," I said, taking her hand and standing up. She smiled again and took me to her black car._

I was naïve back then. I didn't know what was going on in the world.

The choice I made on that day ten years ago when I was only twelve years old changed my whole life.

Back then, I was Hino Kahoko, the youngest daughter of the rich Hino family – a family of five that had four of the members murdered by an assassin organization for mysterious reasons. Hino Kahoko was also the little girl who had been moved from one relative to another because they all want her inheritance.

But then, Hino Kahoko died in a 'car accident' right on her 21st birthday, which is nine years after she followed the beautiful lady and fourteen years since the murder. Her grave was placed next to the rest of the family, and for all the world knows, she exists no more.

For all _I_ know, she does not exist anymore either.

Why?

Because that day, I have turned into a Hanazawa Akane.

And this Hanazawa Akane is also Akai, an assassin.

An assassin belonging to _The Black Roses_ group, Japan's five most 'reliable', most accurate, most brutal, and most wanted assassins.

-x-x-x-

**Author's Note:**

These drabbles are connected to the fic "The Black Roses". They are like a 'sneak peek' into the real thing, although I'm basically just writing down my ideas.

So, since these are 'sneak peek's and the fic is an AU, I'm not going to explain who the mysterious characters that are bound to appear in future drabbles are… *smirks evilly*

Oh, and you won't see A/Ns often either. I found that they ruin the mood set in the storyline, and I know that you already know that I expect reviews ;)


	2. Tears of an Angel

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own any of the characters you recognized from the anime La Corda D'Oro (though I don't think you would recognize them in this fic). The rest of the characters and the plot are mine.

-x-x-x-

**The Story of The Black Roses**

By: White Melancholy

**2. "Tears of an Angel"**

RING RING

The red-haired young woman walked over silently to the wall telephone and answered it.

"Hello, Hanazawa Akane speaking."

"Akai-sama."

At the mention of the name, the young woman stood in alert.

"May I know who I am currently speaking to?"

"Saga, a third-class assassin in charge of Shizuka-sama's search, ma'am."

"…Have you found him?"

"Our sources say that he might have died in the hands of the enemy, ma'am."

"Stop calling me that," Akai said, her emotions starting to get in her head, "So are you saying that after two years you still can't find Shizuka?"

"We are very sorry, ma'am, but-"

"I said stop calling me that!" she said, anger and disappointment evident in her voice, "It's impossible for Shizuka to be dead! You're lying!"

"Akai-sama, we-"

"Whatever your excuses are, I refuse to believe it," Akai said coldly, "Keep searching. I do not wish for you to stop."

"Akai-sama, we have been ordered to _stop_," Saga said, "It was a direct order from The Numbers."

"I don't care! Someone has to go against his wishes once in a while!"

"Why don't you just calm down for a second, Akai," a silky male voice said from behind her, "I can hear you shouting from across the hallway."

"Well, then, Saga, if you are too _incapable_ of searching for a lost person, I'll just do it _myself_," Akai said, hanging up harshly before she turned to face the intruder.

"Since when do you sneak into a lady's room, Yuu-san?" Akai said cynically, "I thought you were a _gentleman_."

"Well, since when did you believe that I was one?" Yuu said, chuckling, "I don't believe I have ever acted that way towards you, Akai-san."

"Now that I have stopped shouting can you leave the room?"

Yuu sighed.

"I know that you are upset about that…_problem_," Yuu said, "But you should realize that we have more important things to do."

"Like what? Kill more people?" Akai replied coldly.

"Yes," Yuu said, "You know this is how our world works. You work alone, you live alone, and you die alone. You are _always_ alone."

"Shizuka would have saved me if I was in trouble."

"Really?" Yuu said coldly, "Where is he now, then?"

Akai froze.

Yuu chuckled at Akai's reaction as if her obvious misery was actually _entertaining_ him, "If you weren't alone before, you are certainly alone now, aren't you, Akai? _I_ wouldn't save you when you're in trouble unless I was ordered to."

Akai turned around, starting to walk towards her living room.

"Well, anyway, I was here to deliver a message from The Numbers," Yuu continued, opening the front door, stopping her in her tracks.

"They said: _Forget him or die_."

With that, he walked out of the door, leaving her all alone. She slumped back down on the couch she was sitting on before the cursed phone call, burying her face in her hands.

'_Shizuka… Why did you leave me alone in this place?'_

As the rain fell outside her window, Akai shed all her masks and cried alone in the middle of her empty apartment – unaware that Yuu was _still there_, watching over her and listening to her silent sobs.


End file.
